Team building is any planned activity that helps a group of coworkers trust each other, communicate better and work toward shared goals. It can be a game, a workshop, a charity build or a timed challenge. What makes it team building is that the group has to work together to finish it.
Where team building comes from
People have built teams in one form or another for as long as they have worked in groups. The modern idea traces back to the Hawthorne Studies of the 1920s and 1930s, when researchers watched what happened as groups of employees worked on tasks together. The clearest result was that the groups developed a shared identity and a sense of cohesion from working together.
Companies often turn to team building when a team is struggling or in conflict, and it does help with role confusion and poor communication. It can also simply be a reward for a team that already works well.
What team building improves
During team building activities, employees practice skills they bring back to work. People are more motivated when they can take pride in how they performed, and once trust grows between teammates, coming to work gets easier.
When team members trust each other and communicate well, they share ideas and collaborate more readily. Team building also draws in people who would not usually interact. Finding ways to use each person’s skills, and then carrying that into real projects, leads to more efficient work and a more satisfied team.
Why it matters more now
Employees used to work side by side. Now many teams work across remote offices, email, chat and video calls. Face-to-face time in the form of team building programs and activities is more valuable than it has ever been.
How to make it work
How well team building works differs from one organization to the next. One thing holds everywhere: every member of the team should understand the goal of the activity before it starts. Once goals are set and roles are assigned, teams can work together toward real results.
That is why a needs assessment comes first. It names the group’s goals and desired outcomes so the program can be built around them. Our guide on how to plan a team building event walks through it step by step.
If you are planning an event for your company, see our corporate team building programs, which start from that same needs assessment.
